Trouble recovering method of aseptic filling machine and aseptic filling machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11535502-B2
Application number	US-201816479716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2018
Priority date	Feb 20, 2017
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine and an aseptic filling machine which can resume operation at an early stage if a trouble occurs in any of portions during an operation of the aseptic filling machine are provided.A door of a chamber in which the trouble occurred is opened while a pressure in the chamber other than the chamber in which the trouble occurred is kept positive, the trouble is removed and then, the door is closed, an inside of the chamber in which the trouble occurred is cleaned as necessary, the inside of the chamber is sterilized and then, the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine that fills a sterilized content into a sterilized bottle in an aseptic atmosphere and seals the bottle with a sterilized sealing member, the aseptic filling machine having a chamber that shields a heating portion that heats a preform, a molding portion that molds the heated preform into the bottle, a bottle sterilizing portion that sterilizes the bottle, a filling portion that fills sterilized content into the bottle, a sealing portion that seals the bottle filled with the content and a discharge portion that places the sealed bottle on a discharging conveyor constituting the aseptic filling machine, wherein:
when a trouble occurs in any of the portions, an operation of the aseptic filling machine is stopped, and in a state where an internal pressure of a trouble non-occurrence chamber which is the chamber that shields the portion in which the trouble does not occur is made a positive pressure by supply of an aseptic air, a door of a trouble occurrence chamber that shields the portion in which the trouble occurred is opened, the trouble is removed and then, the door of the trouble occurrence chamber is closed and the inside of the trouble occurrence chamber is sterilized and then, the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed,
wherein if the trouble occurrence chamber is the chamber that shields the filling portion, the sealing portion and the discharge portion, a cleaning of the trouble occurrence chamber is performed, a sterilizer is sprayed into the trouble occurrence chamber, an aseptic water is sprayed and a heated aseptic air is supplied into the trouble occurrence chamber.

2. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the portion is any of a preform sterilizing portion that sterilizes a preform, the heating portion that heats the preform to a molding temperature, the molding portion that molds the heated preform into a bottle, the bottle sterilizing portion that sterilizes the molded bottle, the filling portion that fills a content into the molded bottle, a sealing member sterilizing portion that sterilizes a sealing member, the sealing portion that seals the bottle filled with the content, and the discharge portion that discharges the sealed bottle.

3. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 2 , wherein
an opening portion is closed to such a degree that the opening portion is not bought into contact with equipment present at the opening portion of the trouble occurrence chamber and then, the door of the trouble occurrence chamber is opened.

4. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the inside of the trouble non-occurrence chamber adjacent to the trouble occurrence chamber is sterilized during a period from start of sterilization of the inside of the trouble occurrence chamber until the operation of the aseptic filing machine is resumed.

5. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 2 , wherein
CIP (Cleaning in Place) or SIP (Sterilization in Place) of a filling valve is not performed after opening of the door of the trouble occurrence chamber until the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed.

6. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein
an opening portion is closed to such a degree that the opening portion is not brought into contact with equipment present at the opening portion of the trouble occurrence chamber and then, the door of the trouble occurrence chamber is opened.

7. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 6 , wherein
the inside of the trouble non-occurrence chamber adjacent to the trouble occurrence chamber is sterilized during a period from start of sterilization of the inside of the trouble occurrence chamber until the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed.

8. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 6 , wherein
CIP (Cleaning in Place) or SIP (Sterilization in Place) of a filling valve is not performed after opening of the door of the trouble occurrence chamber until the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed.

9. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the inside of the trouble non-occurrence chamber adjacent to the trouble occurrence chamber is sterilized during a period from start of sterilization of the inside of the trouble occurrence chamber until the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed.

10. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 9 , wherein
CIP (Cleaning in Place) or SIP (Sterilization in Place) of a filling valve is not performed after opening of the door of the trouble occurrence chamber until the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed.

11. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein
CIP (Cleaning in Place) or SIP (Sterilization in Place) of a filling valve is not performed after opening of the door of the trouble occurrence chamber until the operation of the aseptic filling machine is resumed.

12. The trouble recovering method of an aseptic filling machine according to claim 11 , wherein
if the trouble occurrence chamber is the filling portion chamber that shields the filling portion, a filling port of the filling valve is closed and then, cleaning and sterilization of the inside of the filling portion chamber is performed.

13. An aseptic filling machine that fills a sterilized content into a sterilized bottle in an aseptic atmosphere and seals the bottle with a sterilized sealing member, the aseptic filling machine comprising:
a chamber that shields a heating portion that heats a preform, a molding portion that molds the heated preform into the bottle, a bottle sterilizing portion that sterilizes the bottle, a filling portion that fills sterilized content into the bottle, a sealing portion that seals the bottle filled with the content and a discharge portion that places the sealed bottle on a discharging conveyor constituting the aseptic filling machine,
a door that is opened of a trouble occurrence chamber that shields a portion in which a trouble occurred and is closed after the trouble is removed, and
an aseptic air supplying apparatus that keeps a positive pressure in a trouble non-occurrence chamber which shields a portion in which the trouble does not occur,
wherein if the trouble occurrence chamber is the chamber that shields the filling portion, the sealing portion and the discharge portion, a leaning of the trouble occurrence chamber is performed, a sterilizer is sprayed into the trouble occurrence chamber, an aseptic water is sprayed and a heated aseptic air is supplied into the trouble occurrence chamber.

14. The aseptic filling machine according to claim 13 , wherein the aseptic filling machine has an opening-portion closing device that, if equipment is present at an opening portion provided in the chamber, closes the opening portion to such a degree that the opening portion is not brought into contact with the equipment, while if the equipment is not present, closes the entire surface of the opening portion.

Assignees

• Dainippon Printing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayakawa Atsushi
• Ito Shuta

Classifications

• B65B55/04

  Sterilising wrappers or receptacles prior to, or during, packaging {(sterilising bottles B67C7/00)} · CPC title

• B29C2049/4697

  Clean room · CPC title

• B29C49/4252

  Auxiliary operations prior to the blow-moulding operation not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B29C49/6409

  Thermal conditioning of preforms (B29C49/68 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65B55/10

  by liquids or gases · CPC title